Anime Hearts
by holyhellwhatarewedoing
Summary: Remake of Kingdom Hearts Anime style! Two girls and one boy are sent to the world of anime in search of the door that will send them home. They come to find that there is more about them than they ever knew and help the goodguys to get to the next world.
1. Meet the Girls

Catse2000: Well, here's the new story from me and Kojika85. I hope you like it. If you haven't already guessed form the summary and the name, this was derived from playing the PS2 game Kingdom Hearts. We got to thinking it would be cool if we made an anime version with us in it, so this is what happened. We also changed our personalities and positions in the story, so this isn't the real us...(don't get to thinking it is)...Just who we thought would work well with the story. Enjoy...  
  
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Disclaimer: Well...there isn't really anything here to disclaim yet, but there will be. For the moment, I can only say that the idea for the story belongs to Kingdom Hearts...but the anime version doesn't. .; lol.  
  
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Catse was in a bad mood.

The sun was shining...

The birds were chirping...

The day was beautiful...

She hated every moment of it...

The teachers had called her home again; telling her parents that she hadn't attended classes.

_'Stupid teachers...stupid parents...stupid birds singing...stupid day...'_

Things weren't going well.

Her parents had of course gotten into an uproar of how school was important and she needed to be smart and educated to live in the real world.

A whole bunch of nagging is what it was.

That was it...

Nagging...

Oh how she despised it...

[Flashback]

_"You must go to school dear. It's good for you. You'll be smart and pretty and every man will want to date you and-" _

_"Oh shut up mom...I hate school..." She had replied, crossing her arms in agitation as she sat on the couch, trying to watch TV. _

_"Then quit and get a job!" Her father replied, slamming his hand on the kitchen table. _

_"Now dear...that isn't right. She needs school-" Her mother had tried to argue. _

_"If she has that much trouble then she can just quit! S'bout time she got to paying her keep here! She already doesn't do anything to begin with!" _

_"But-" _

_"I'm not quitting school." Catse interrupted, glaring at her father. _

_"Why?! You don't even go to it!" Her father argued. _

_"Well it's better than staying here and listen to you tell me how to live my life!" She screamed, picking up her sling bag and slamming the door to the outside world behind her._

[End Flashback]

She hadn't returned that entire night, just walking around the streets until school started the next morning.

Sure she was tired...and that factor added onto her grumpy mood.

_'Stupid parents...telling me how to do everything...If they want me to work so much then they should have never let me come to school...'_

It wasn't that she hated school...

It could actually be sort of nice...only every once in a while.

It was most of her classes that she hated.

She was confused in Algebra, lost in History, left behind in Biology, and she had no idea what to do in English I.

Her only good courses were Art, Gym, and Web mastery.

Web mastery simply because she had learned some neat hacking techniques from an old friend, and just loved to hack into the teacher's personal files when she wasn't looking.

The funniest part was that the teacher didn't even know it was she doing it.

She would look agitated, slam the mouse on the desk, and then not answer when the students asked her what the matter was.

Yeah...Catse loved Web mastery...

The bell rang as she came close to her destination, her thoughts swarming over the ritualistic argument with her parents, and her sleepless night.

The school bell tore her from her brooding as it signaled the beginning of classes.

_'Oh well...Gym's the first class...maybe that'll cool me off...'_

She stepped into the school; her hands stuffed in her pockets and her back hunched in a truly agitated mood.  
  
############

Koji took her usual seat in US History, reading the newest book from Ann Rice as she waited for the teacher to come to the front of the class.

It most certainly was a beautiful day, with the birds singing and the sky a beautiful blue.

What a day to have a quiz.

Of course she was ready for it.

She was always ready...

She couldn't help but smile, as she looked over the class...some pale with worry...others indifferent of whether they would pass or not...

Then there were the nerds...those that studied and studied until their eyes bulged and they knew how to say, spell, and write the information forwards and backwards.

They were the ones she enjoyed competing against to most.

Although she wasn't popular with the students in anything but class grades, she still liked the competition.

She wasn't the one the teacher's usually called up to the front of the class to answer questions or to read either...they were intimidated by her on some level.

Koji just sat in her cozy little corner by the window, reading books and passing classes...with out even a single glance from the teachers.

How she enjoyed school!

Finally, the teacher walked in and the students seated themselves, some sweating from fear of the quiz.

She greeted them warmly, as she did every day, and the bell rang to announce that classes had begun.

Quizzes were passed out, pencils appeared, and the day started.

Ten questions, all about Pearl Harbor, the Day of Infamy.

Rather easy...

Of course, Koji was an expert on History...

It came with watching the History Channel.

The quizzes were passed in and the teacher resumed yesterday's lesson on World War II.

Koji reopened her book and continued reading, nearly finished with the book already.

She didn't need to pay attention to this portion of the class.

WWII was her area of expertise.

She only looked up when a slip of paper floated into the crease between pages.

_'That's odd...Who would send me a note?'_

She picked it up and read it, shaking her head with a sigh.  
  
**Koji, **

**How wood u lyke to go owt nxt Satrday? Ill pik u up. **

**Luv, **

**Hakuchi  
**  
Hakuchi.

What was there to say about him?

She re-read it, shaking her head with a sigh.

He was a low down idiot with the single hope of tricking a girl into helping him pass a test or two.

It was the common trick, trying to get them to become putty in his hands and give him the answers to a test, then he would drop them like they were nothing and head onto the next.

Koji guessed she was his latest target.

She smiled and looked over at him.

He was a slick guy, with black hair gelled back until it resembled a helmet on his head, and the slight appearance of a mustache over his mouth.

He always wore muscle shirts, probably to make him think he was cool, and he usually looked like a mobster or a gang leader.

All in all...a very annoying classmate.

He was staring back, wagging his eyebrows as if they made him look more appealing than he already thought he was.

Koji smiled gently when he grinned, and turned back to the paper he sent him, scribbling a little message on the paper.  
  
**Hakuchi, **

**Learn how to spell loser, and get a life. **

**Koji  
**  
Then, smiling as if she was trying to be seductive, she folded the paper and had another classmate pass it along, keeping a sweet smile the entire time.

He thought he had won, and opened the paper with a grin and another wag of the eyebrows in her direction.

His face was rather funny to watch, and Koji couldn't help but glance there every few minutes, as she tried to read.

First glee...then confusion...then agitation...then anger...

And the paper was crumpled up and tossed in the wastebasket.

_'Hehehe...loser.'_

She read the book for the entire period, until the bell signaled the next class.

As she stood, she noticed Hakuchi waiting next to the door.

_'Oh goody...idiot wants to be insulted again...'_ She thought sarcastically.

Koji sighed as she stepped out the door...

Yep...she was dealing with an imbecile.  
  
############

Gym had been a load off of her mind...

Catse sighed as she stepped out of the changing room, fully clothed.

They had played Dodge ball, and she had had the pleasure of nearly knocking one of the students unconscious.

Too bad the coach was sending a letter home about it...and she was getting detention.

To hell if she was going to detention!

They had tried in the past but they had failed.

Catse never attended detention!

And most likely never would!

She probably had at least fifty detentions on record for this year; not a single one had she gone to.

Another sigh and she was in the cluttered hallway of students trying to get to their lockers.

_'Great...The stampede.'_

She put on her most agitated/angry face and stepped towards the crowd, her head held high.

Catse knew most of the students there feared her, and she made sure they kept the fear up.

She liked the respect it brought.

As soon as the students saw her coming, they moved out of her way, giving her free room to walk so as to not get in her way.

Although she kept the mad look up, she was smiling in her thoughts.

_'Nothing but a herd...and I'm the shepherd.'_

Catse got to her locker and got her books alright, but was surprised when she turned around to see one of the smartest girls at school being bullied by one of the dumbest guys there.

She had dealt with Hakuchi before...that brainless dolt.

He should have been born as one of those ditzy blonds, because that's how he acted.

Not to say that all blonds are ditzy, just some...too bad he had black hair.

He fit the part well enough.

Catse stood still a moment, watching the punk try to convince the girl he had trapped near the door to do something for him.

The girl had long silky black hair running loosely down her back, the kind that flows like water when run across the fingers, and her eyes were a bluish color...at least from what she could see in her position near the lockers.

Her outfit was simple...a pair of black jeans and a simple black sweater.

She recognized the girl...Koji something, but she couldn't remember her last name.

Didn't matter really...she only needed the first name.

Koji was known to be one of the schools smartest...but usually she scared the teachers a little with her quiet ways...and her piercing look.

Hakuchi continued to hold her off, both arms at the sides of her head. One would expect a girl in that predicament to look frightened, but the one he kept cornered looked quite calm...almost agitated.

_'Yep, he was trying to get her to cheat on a test with him...foolish punk.'_

Well then, Catse figured it was about time she put Hakuchi in his place.

A good bullying of a bigger guy would do her good...just as much as disabling a classmate in Dodge ball had.

A lot of good...

With one last smirk, Catse walked up to the two and poked the bully on the shoulder.  
  
############

Koji was becoming quit angry now.

Hakuchi had refused to let her continue to her next class unless she promised to go out on a date with him.

_'The hell! Some guy thinks he can tell me what to do! Not happening!'_

Although she had never been late to a class, and didn't want to start, she was determined not to let this punk get what he wanted, even if it meant her tardiness.

Again she sighed and glared at the man hovering over her, trying to seem as superior as possible with stature and little else.

"Let me go now lest I must knock you off." She replied dryly, clutching her books closer to her side.

If she had too, she would smack him good across the face with her Literature book, and run to the next class with a few minutes to spare.

She could already see the students thinning out.

"Ooh...That vocabulary...so poetic." He replied, breathing hot air on her face.

_'Ack...He needs a breath mint...bad...'_

"So what do you say babe? A date?"

"I've told you already. No!"

Koji only just noticed the newcomer that came up behind her captor.

She recognized the girl as the school bully, Catse.

There was usually a lot of talk about her...and yet she was rarely ever at school.

[Flashback]

_"They say she beats up the big guys and makes them her slaves, and if you do anything cross by her, she'll send all the toughest guys in school after you!" One of the rumors said. 'Please...she didn't look that dangerous.'_

[End Flashback]

Her dark red hair was cut short, curving around her face in a rough boyish look, with piercing green eyes that spoke of experience when it came to fighting, and rough eye brows that made her look angry almost all the time.

Her apparel was simple...a pair of blue jeans with torn holes over the knees, and a Red T-shirt with the words **"Don't mess with me...You may not go home in one piece."**

Koji smiled.

Sounded like her kind of phrase...only a little milder perhaps.

"Yo, Hakuchi. What's happenin'?" She said, leaning on his shoulder as if they were buddies.

She smirked mischievously the entire time, giving off a certain aura that said the same thing as her shirt.

"Oh...you...N-N-Nothin' of your b-b-business...um...heh..."

"Right. Listen...Koji right?" Koji nodded.

So she knew her as well...

"How 'bout you get off to classes. I'm gonna talk with lug head here for a minute. D'you mind?"

Would she mind?

_'Hell no! Thanks for coming! I'm outta here!'_

"No. I don't mind. Goodbye...lug head." Koji returned with a smile, glad that she was saved at the last minute.

She'd be able to make it to class now!

Yes!

She only just heard the beginning of a rather mean conversation brewing up.

"So...Didn't I catch you doing this before..." and she was out of earshot.

Oh well...she would probably hear it from rumors later.

For now, Koji had to get to class.

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Catse: There you go! What do you think? Please review! Kojika85 and me would really appreciate it!


	2. The Big Fights

Catse: It's me again. Kojika85 and I decided on posting our chapters three at a time, so after the next chapter, it's her turn. So far, she's already started the first page, but it may be a little while after chapter three (she's quite busy with other stories she's trying to update and work on, so we'll cut her some slack). Anyway, here's chapter two of Anime Hearts. Hope you like the story.

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Disclaimer: Well there's nothing to disclaim at the moment, but if you find something, please contact me at the e-mail sight given. I only put it here 'cause there will be stuff to disclaim in the future.

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Catse smirked as she watched Koji leave.

Time to have a little fun.

"Why'd you have to butt in? It wasn't your business there." Hakuchi told her, looking as frustrated as the last time she caught him trying this on someone.

He looked so confident that he would win this little argument too.

He would not stand a chance if she got angry.

"Listen Hakuchi. I run this school got it. I don't accept other bullies taking over my territory, so you just run along and get off to class."

"You get to class bitch." Catse stood there for a moment, glaring at him.

What had he called her?

She may be a bully, but she had her honor.

She never cussed unless it was a biblical term, and this guy was telling her off!

He did the one thing that would drag her back into a ticked off state of mind.

He swore at her.

The bell rang as the last few students escaped to class.

This was good.

No one would be watching and she could beat him without and audience.

She preferred personal fights like this anyway.

Catse's glare was mean...

She let him see every bit of resentment she had for him.

Hakuchi on the other hand, glared back, which angered her more.

_'This confident little swine! How dare he?!'_

This was it...

She wasn't about to let him get any farther than he already was.

She patted his shoulder with a confident smirk, with the lips curved up in a mixed feeling of anger and resentment, and then, punched him hard in the nose, sending him into a wall.

"Ack...!" He hollered, slumping for a minute before jumping up.

"You get to class you ignorant pig!" She shouted, fists clenched as she gave off her angriest glare and stomped up to him.

"The hell...."

She punched him again, sending him into the wall next to the windows that showed the inside of the front office.

The secretaries busy with their workloads looked up from their computer screen when the window rattled.

"Get up punk...I got somethin' for yah." she replied with a smirk, holding her fist up.

He stood up, wiping the blood that was developing at his nostrils (Eew! Nosebleed!), and smirked again.

_'He still looks confident!?! Why...?'_

She found out a moment later, when he suddenly jumped at her and forced his fist up her stomach, heading to the ribs.

"Guh..." She fell back, wincing from the pain when she hit the wall.

He had.... He had hit her...!

And he did it again...and again...In the same spot...

Catse sagged against the wall, huffing as she tried to ignore the flaming pain her abs were screaming about.

It would do no good to whine...

That wouldn't save her...

This guy hit her...

Although she had been hit many times in the past...she was surprised that he had the gall to do it!

"I've taken a few karate classes since you last kicked my ass Cat. I'm ready for whatever you got to give."  
  
Catse stood up; rubbing the blood from her mouth as it welled up at the corners.

"Funny...didn't seem like it when I started two minutes ago. What...too idiot to know how to react unless I'm not lookin'?"

"Very funny bitch. Come on, I'm gonna kick you're ass once and for all, then I'll gain respect."

"I got news for yah lug-head. When you was playing bully at the playground, I was kickin' ass in the streets, punks twice my size. You think just because you took a few karate classes that you can best experience. Heh. Then come on and show me what yah got."

Hakuchi stood up; looking even more agitated now than he had before.

"That's it bitch! Come here!"

He grabbed her shoulder, raising his arm in preparation to hit, but Catse was ready for the move. Before he could land a blow, she slipped down from his fingers, swirled on the ground on one toe to knock him over, and then stomped on his chest with her foot to get his attention.

When he looked up at her, he had the undeniable fear and hatred for her that she always saw when she beat him.

"See. A few classes can't beat experience."

"All right...I get it. Please let me go...I'll...I give up!" Catse smirked as she hung over him.

"You'll give up?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yes."

"Hm. Okay then, get off to class punk. But if I see this again, I won't let you walk in one piece. Understood?" He nodded.

Catse figured he would keep to his word.

After all, she could beat him again if he didn't.

She stepped off of him and walked away, smiling.

Now she felt better than she had before.

This was great.

She beat a kid in Dodge ball and now she had beaten a bully.

This was wonderful!

But as she walked away, she found how really stupid she was.

She should have dealt with the bully better, perhaps threaten him more.

Catse only knew he was up when she felt the hard smack of two clenched fists behind her neck.

She collapsed on the ground staring, stupefied, at the floor.

This guy just didn't give up!

Hakuchi bent and turned his victim over, laughing as he saw what kind of pain she was in.

"You fool! You thought I was giving up! You're even stupider than I thought!"

_'Stupider...yeah...Learn to use your words right!'_

He sat on top of her, holding her down so that she couldn't get up.

This was driving her nuts!

Who'd this guy think he was, keeping her like this?!

Well he would pay...that was for certain...

He punched her good in the jaw, leaving her mouth to bleed over a little as he laughed.

"Stupid bitch. You can't beat me...no one can."

Now that ticked her off.

"Oh yeah? Get your fat ass off of me!" He didn't listen, so she pulled her arms from their trapped position and shoved him.

He was heavy, and she had to close her eyes to try.

It felt strange though.

Like she had energy surging through her body and it was building up.

Well...in any case, if there was energy she was going to use it!

She snapped her eyes open and thrust what she could behind her hands, anger surging through out her body.

Hakuchi jumped up and flew...farther than she thought possible.

He swept past the glass doors, and landed against the farthest wall from her, and slumped, leaving the impression of his hit.

"Whoa..." She whispered, huffing.

Another short stream of blood drained to the corner of her lips and she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

"What is going on out here?!" She heard a voice say from the door.

_'Uh-oh...Principal. Gotta go!'_

"Catse! I want you in my office now!"

_'Oh great...another call to my parents.'_

Catse huffed her anger as she walked into the principal's office; still curious to how she had managed to force Hakuchi so far away.

She had never done that before...but then again...there were a lot of things she did that were unexplainable.

_'Time to deal with Mr. Evil.' _

And she disappeared into the principal's office.

############

Koji heard about the fight around lunch from the many groups of gossipers.

"They said she kicked his butt good! The guy went flyin' into the wall and left a mark there that the principal is gonna have to have repaired. Man I would have loved to see the fight. I wonder how Catse was able to leave a mark in the first place."

_'How indeed...'_ She wondered, smiling as she finished up her meal.

_'Perhaps...no...was it possible?'_

Was she going through now the same thing Koji was?

If so...why?

Koji excused herself from the lunch table a few minutes before class to be left to her thoughts.

She had done something similar as Catse a few years back...and she could still remember the event vividly in her head.

But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get her body to do it again.

It had been when she was thirteen.

Her stepfather had really ticked her off one afternoon when he insisted she had stole some money that had strangely disappeared.

_'Nope...he used it at the bar...That's where it disappeared...In his beer!'_

He had accused her of theft and grounded her...and yet never even looked for the proof of what had happened.

She had been so angry that she walked outside and sat on an old car in the front yard, glaring at her father's new pickup, won from a contest he had repeatedly entered for about a month.

Ideas had swum in her head of how to get back at her father, when her thoughts had concentrated on that pickup.

_'Red...shiny...new...stupid.'_

She began thinking of what to do to it, when her father came out telling her to get her butt inside.

Koji had been grounded after all.

Then, in anger and rage, prepared to yell at him, she let the building energy go. She could never forget that day.

The truck burst into flames, sending bits of metal and tire every which way.

Her father didn't know what had happened, and later claimed that someone had put a bomb in the truck to kill him, but it went off before he could get inside.

But Koji knew.

It was something about her attitude that had brought it about.

Well in any case, it had gotten her father to stop blaming her for his mistakes.

He tried not to anger her anymore, and she was satisfied with that.

After some research, she found out that it was possible that she could perform pyro-kinetics, the ability to cause things to burn or explode with use of the mind.

That had to be what had happened, but if so, why couldn't she do it again.

Perhaps she should talk to Catse this afternoon, after school.

Maybe she could find out how she did whatever she did, so as to know if she to had a similar ability as her.

Koji sighed when the bell rang for class.

She had to find out.

So most of the day she spent reading, finishing her book in her last class, and happily finding that Hakuchi hadn't returned to classes all afternoon.

_'She must have beaten him good.'_

The bell rang.

It was time to talk to the bully.

Koji packed up her stuff and walked out of the school, searching for the red headed girl that had helped her out earlier that afternoon.

She found her outside the fence around the school, but was surprised at what she found her doing.

Well...then again she was a bully.

She had a young boy, probably ten or eleven at the most, pinned up against a fence.

He had short messy blonde hair that stood up on end like little spikes, and deep blue eyes that glared with a vengeance.

He wore the usual elementary uniform, the blue jumpsuit with the briefcase in hand. Even though someone of Catse's stature would have scared some one this small away, he stood strong and brave, glaring back at her as if he was twice the size she was.

"Kid, you're new around here right?"

"Yeah. What of it?"

Catse snickered for a moment, before glaring back at the kid with a smile on her face.

"I rule this part a'town, and kids like you gotta obey me."

"Who says?"

"I do."

"Then you don't know who I am."

"Oh really." The way they were going, one of them was bound to start a fight, and then they would end up hurting each other too bad to walk.

That was how vicious the argument was getting.

Koji couldn't let it go like this.

She wasn't the kind of person that sat on the sidelines to watch.

So, with out further to do, she stepped in the way of the two bickerers and pressed them away, playing the peacemaker.

"What the hell are you doing?" Catse screamed, slapping Koji's hand away.

"Keeping you two away from each other. What does it look like?"

"Hey, aren't you the girl I saved earlier?"

Koji smiled. "Glad you remembered."

"What the hell are you doing stopping me from messin' with that kid!"

"Keeping things peaceful. You don't need to fight with everything that moves you know."

Catse began to growl at this. "Kid, what's your name?"

"Hane. What's it to you?"

"Well Hane, you got quite the mouth. How about you get your butt home and leave me to deal with Catse."

"No way! She was pickin' on me and I want to get her back!"

"Hane?"

But Catse had had enough of listening.

"Get your ass outta my way!" She shouted, punching at Koji.

She was surprised when her target suddenly vanished into thin air.

"What the-"

"Turn around." She heard Koji say with an amused voice.

So Catse did.

Koji stood there, not a smile on her features, looking agitated.

"How the hell...Well you know what, you can't run forever!"

Catse again punched at her, but Koji dodged it effortlessly once more, and so they fought. Hane sat amused, sitting with a hearty smile as he watched the fight commence before him.

"You're sloppy and ignorant. You punch with out knowing if you'll hit." Koji commented, dodging again.

"You shut up. You have no experience in this, so sit still and let me hit you!"

Koji smiled wanly at that, and allowed Catse to get close enough to hit, before dodging again.

"I've a black belt in Tai Chi, and I have mastered the art of Ninjutsu. You couldn't hit me even if you wanted to."

"What?"

Koji smiled and stood, watching her assailant.

The girl had the experience sure, but not the training.

"I've mastered many fighting moves, and I move too fast to begin with. You can't catch me."

"You'll see!"

Hane watched curiously, but began to wonder what was really going on when the beautiful day of birds singing began to darken, and the skies began to fill with rain clouds.

Thunder began to roll, and soon a few specks of rain splashed onto the cement, displaying a storm.

It had rolled in so suddenly and yet neither girl seemed to notice what was going on.

Both of them continued to fight, with out a worry in the world.

He had to do something.

He had to stop the fight and get the girls inside before something bad happened.

So Hane stood up and ran between the two girls, grabbing their wrists before they could move again.

"Stop it!" He shouted.

"What! Kid get your hands off of me!" Catse yelled, yanking on her held wrist.

"Yes. Let us be. We must finish this."

"But there's a storm-"

Too late.

Before they could leave, a splash of lightning struck the ground, surrounding the two girls and the young boy in the yellowish liquid like light.

Then, the lightning disappeared and the three were gone, leaving only a black splotch on the ground of where they once stood.

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Catse: How was that? One more chapter to go for this and I'm done for a while. I hope you enjoy how it is so far, and we'll do our best to keep updating soon. Well, I have to update the next chapter. Ja Ne!


	3. The Beginning

Catse: Hiyya everyone, here's chapter three. I'm sure most of you will recognize the characters described in this next chapter, and I hope you like how it is so far. Well, here' s the next chappie. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I don't own the Inuyasha or the Rurouni Kenshin monuments, but then again, it's not like anybody is really asking if I do.

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_'Something smells...nice..._

_But what? _

_What happened? _

_Where am I? _

_Who am I?'_

Catse opened her eyes only a little but snapped them closed again at the bright light that swam around her.

"Ugh..."

She rested there for a moment, lying in the warmth of the sunlight.

_'The window must be open...Mom must have opened my window...'_

A cold breath of air swept across her body and she quickly scrambled for the blanket on her bed to pull around her, so as to keep warm.

_'Wait...what happened to the blanket?'_

Catse sat up sleepily, looking for her sheets, but stopped cold.

Where was her bed?

Her room?

Where the hell was she?

She took a good look around.

Tall cherry blossom trees surrounded her.

_'So that was where the smell came from?'_

Tall vine covered walls surrounded her, keeping her from any sort of exit at all, and she looked longingly at a tall metal gate that kept her from leaving this place.

Apparently she was sitting on a large monument...a sort of stained glass floor built into the concrete.

Upon the front was a design of a boy with long white hair and...was that a pair of dog-ears? He had yellow eyes and a red hoari, and he stood as if ready to fight, displaying a large sword.

Around him were various different people.

At his head was a young woman with curly black hair and brown eyes, in a sailor fuku like worn at the usual high school. Catse had never had to worry about uniforms at hers because hers didn't require them. She held up what looked like a long bow and a small glass container of glass shards.

Next to her on the left side, was a small boy with orange-ish hair and a blue bow tying it up into a ponytail. His eyes were green, his ears pointy, and his hands were tiny, holding a spinning top in one and an acorn in the other.

To the opposite side was a man with black hair kept in a tiny pony tail at the back of his head and dark blue eyes that seemed to smile mischievously at you. In one of his hands was a chain of prayer beads, wrapped around the wrist; in the other was a golden staff with a circle at the top, many other circular rings jingling from it.

In the middle on the left side, was another woman, similar to the one at the top, only with longer hair, and brown eyes. In one hand was a strap leading to the large boomerang on her back. In the other was a cute little cat with orange eyes and yellow fur that ended in black swirls on its two tails and tips on the ears.

On the opposite side was a person similar to the one in the middle, with long sleek white hair and yellow eyes, only with red eye shadow and a large fluffy white thing on one shoulder. In the background was a toad looking creature with a two-headed staff and a little girl with hair in a tail on the side of her head and flowers in her hands. In both hands were swords, one glowing blue, the other black.

Below the woman with a boomerang was another man with a ponytail, only he had thin blue eyes and a brown head band to go with what looked like brown fur composed armor. In his hands were two more glass shards like the girl at the top.

On his opposite side was a sickly looking man with wavy black hair, red eyes, and blue eye shadow. In one hand was what looked like a white baboon pelt, and in the other was a round jewel with a wedge missing.

"Interesting. I guess that wedge is what tough guy and fuku girl have got." Catse mumbled.

Then she looked at the last picture at the bottom, opposite the girl in the green sailor fuku. She looked almost exactly like her, except for two thin pieces of hair that swept into circles around her face. She too had a bow in one hand, but what looked like a white dragon in the other. The entire diagram was done on a large image of the jewel the man with the pelt had.

"Whoa. I wonder what kind of a story there is there."

"It is the story of Inuyasha and his search for the pieces of the Shikon no Tama."

A voice said from the trees.

"Huh! Who's there?"

"I have no name. I just am." It replied calmly.

"Well then, "just am" where the hell am I and what am I doing here?"

"Such manners for a chosen to open the door."

"Huh? What door?"

"This door." Suddenly a tall-arced door appeared at the middle of the circle, just where the boy's sword was.

Catse stepped up to it, and reached out to touch it, but found nothing.

"The hell?"

"It is not the real door. Only upon finding the real one, will you return home."

"Hey! Show yourself right now or I'll have to go lookin' for yah. I need to know what is going on! You have no right to hold me here!"

There was silence for a moment.

Finally, the voice answered: "I do not hold you here. You do. If you wished, you could change anything you wanted. You only had to believe."

"I don't believe in that crap. I want outta here." Catse replied, becoming agitated.

"You will have to to find your way back. As for now, you must choose your state of mind."

"What?"

Instantly, three blocks plowed there way up form the floor.

On top of each was a weapon.

The one on Catse's left held a wand, with a ring at the top and a Japanese symbol that meant anime. On the other side was an arced shield with the same symbol. In the middle was a katana, with the same circle on the top as the wand, and a red ribbon that hung loosely from it.

"What do you mean choose my state of mind?"

"The sword is offense in every way. The shield is defense in every way. The wand is a mix of both. Choose."

_'That's not too hard!'_

Catse wasn't one to care whether she had defense or not.

She was well prepared for anything that came at her. So she wasn't all that interested in the shield, and the wand didn't have much interest either, but she liked the sword.

She stepped up and picked it up off the table.

The blocks disappeared, leaving her in the middle of the circle, the door her only obstacle.

"You're journey has begun."

"What journey?"

There was no answer.

"Hey! Answer me! What journey!"

The sky went dark, and the cherry blossom trees disappeared in a black fog that crept in and over the circle of Inuyasha and the others.

Suddenly, she was in complete darkness; the only thing familiar was the door that still lay behind her.

She turned towards it and started running for it, but every step seemed to pull the door farther and farther away. Soon, it disappeared in the distance, and she was left completely alone.

"Hey! What the hell is happening? Anybody...Tell me! Where am I?! Answer me!"

But nothing replied, and she was trapped in darkness with out a door, and with out a way out.

###############

Koji glared at the large circle she was standing on.

It was familiar to her...the characters in it.

She was a huge anime fan and knew a lot of the stuff that went on TV.

She was usually the one that knew the most of the anime's people chatted about.

This one was of Rurouni Kenshin, one of her favorites.

In the middle was Kenshin himself, with his long red hair in it's usual loose ponytail, and his katana with the switched blade that was used to defend but not kill.

Around him were the many characters he met.

Kaoru was at the top of the circle, Yahiko on her left, Sanosuke on her right. Below Yahiko was Saito, and below Sanosuke was Megumi.

Below Megumi was Aoshi, and below Saito was Shishio.

At the very bottom, was Kenshin's past love, Tomoe, although their story together was in Samurai X and not really mentioned in Rurouni Kenshin. Still, it was a matter in his life and of importance.

The circle was red, almost looking like a puddle of blood with the characters' faces on the front.

Her surroundings were curious.

A tall brick wall, cracked in several spots from age, and one tall oak that stood planted, hundreds of years old, before the gate of the wall.

The grass was not bright green, but a dark red, almost like blood, and a thin moat lay stagnant around the circle. It was almost like she was being kept captive from the outside world.

"Welcome." Said a voice.

She couldn't place where it was coming from. It was almost as if it was all around her, yet centered in her head.

"Who are you?" Koji asked bluntly, curious to whom was talking.

"I am what I am. That is all you need to know."

"Well then what can I call you?" Koji replied.

_'At least I'll have something to call him.'_

"I have no name, but I prefer to be called Shadow if it makes a difference."

"Shadow. Okay. Would you please tell me where I am?"

"You have better manners than the last one. You are within the world of your choosing. This is of your mind and wonders."

Koji nodded, and stared at the grass.

_'No wonder the grass is red. I'm used to watching gore in my animes. This is just a remake of a battlefield. Moat...seclusion...Oak...Suppressed from what I would like to do.'_

"You are a clever one. Yes...this land shows you what you think of...of what basis your thoughts take..."

He could read her thoughts!

Oh well, best not think anything bad about him then.

"Then how do I leave?"

"Through the door." The voice replied.

"What door?" Suddenly a tall door appeared, with an arced top and a brass knob, with the kanji on the front that meant 'earth'.

"Is that...a door to my world?"

"Yes. But only a few can return to the world whilst they came. Once here, many loose themselves in the worlds they see, and become trapped within the inner walls of their hopes and dreams...of their nightmares."

"Well...Okay." She replied, reaching out to touch the door.

Her hand went right through, as if she were viewing a hologram.

"I told you. Only few of you can return from whilst they came."

"Then how do you return?" She asked, stepping back.

"Why...you can whenever you want...You just have to find the key to your soul. A search comes with a riddle: 'Thin upon one heart. Full upon the next. Only one has it complete. One who's with purpose.' Figure that out, and you will find your key."

"Thin upon one heart. Full upon the next. Only one has it complete. One who's with purpose? That's a riddle?"

"One only the truest can answer. You have a journey before you. One that requires a state of mind. Choose that and you will decide your way."

Instantly, three blocks rose from the floor, displaying three items.

On her left was a wand with a symbol saying 'anime' at the top, on her right was a shield with the symbol in the middle, and before her was a sword similar to the wand.

The shield stood for complete defense, the sword for offense, but the wand could have both.

Koji wasn't one to have it one way or the other, so she chose the wand, and remained calm even when the blocks disappeared and the sky began to darken.

"Your journey has begun." The voice said, and silence followed.

"Then I shall travel it." Koji replied, watching as the door slowly faded into the dark mist that surrounded her.

"And I will open the door..."

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Catse: There, what do you think? Please review! We'd love to hear from you! Ja Ne!


	4. Inuyashaland

It's my turn at the keys this time .. I only hope to impress that I do nods sagely but remember, that I do not own the Inuyasha characters and neither does my partner in crime Catse2000. Catse and Koji do belong to us though, so don't try any funny business you hear! glares good!

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"Now where the hell am I" Catse fumed. First there was some weird voice that didn't make any sense telling her that she could go back home if she believed. Then, when she tries to go through the door, it's just a hologram.

_'When I find that looser I am going to bash his brains in.'_

Catse groaned and stood. There was grass underneath her feet, reaching up to the tops of her feet, and it was aggravating her.

"Stupid grass. Stay out of my stupid way!" She hollered at it, kicking it. It didn't seem to notice that she had even hit it, as the wind had picked up and began to wipe away what she had already snapped in half with her feet.

She crossed her arms, stood up straight, and took a look around… And nearly fell again.

She was standing on the upper most part of a hill, not steep enough to be like a mountain, but more like a condescending slump of dirt with grass growing out of it. Further up there was a small village, with smoke rising out of the top and to her right and left…forest. And behind her…more forest.

"Goody. I'm on my own episode of survivor and I only just woke up." She stopped and glanced around, feeling even more aggravated for every tree, plant, and animals she spied with her eyes. Finally, she couldn't contain her anger. "What the hell is going on here!"

But of course no one would answer. There was no one around to answer her. So she figured, a trip to the little village down the hill might give her some answers, or at least some one to punch so she could relieve some of her growing aggravation.

Catse was in such a bad mood in fact that she completely missed the strange looks she received from a group of travelers as she passed on her way down.

That is... until one called out to her.

"OI! Wench! What the hell's your problem!"

"Huh?" Was Catse's ever intelligent reply. She stopped, not wanting to take another step in case something would happen to her that she would rather not. She didn't know this world, and considering she had just gone through a swirling black vortex in the eye of a bolt of lightning, anything could happen. For Godsakes! She was in front of a freaking village!

"You deaf or just stupid! I said what's your problem! You just interfered in my battle!" He yelled.

_'What the...? Battle…?' _Catse thought solemnly. But there had been no one on this hill a minute ago…

Sure enough, she turned to see a very bored and annoyed guy standing off to her right. His platinum hair was to his shins, and he had a very fluffy looking boa-type accessory draped casually over his shoulder. What struck her odd though was the weird tatoos he had all over his face and...

_'Is that guy wearing pink eye-shadow?'_

Of course, he didn't look the character to be screaming such nonsense things at her, so there had to be more people, and anyways, there couldn't be a battle unless there were two or more people fighting. So, she waited for the next shout.

"Well wench! You gonna move or am I just gonna have to knock you outta the way!"

Catse's eye gained a peculiar twitch when he referred to her as wench for the second time.

"Call me that again, and I'll show you what your brains look like." She snapped back.

It was now that she actually turned to see who dared to push her buttons. She couldn't contain her surprise. The guy was wearing a blood red houri with matching hakamas which looked suspiciously like the old MC Hammer pants. Her eyes drifted to his white dog ears as they twitched, and the overly large sword held at the ready.

"You're the weirdo in the picture!" Catse yelled.

The boy with the sword gave her a peculiar snort, almost like an aggravated dog, and went to snap back when he was interrupted.

"As much as I find this all amusing, I don't have time for such trivial matters."

It was the drag queen weirdo with the boa that spoke this time, giving in his words the very attitude that Catse had thought he must have had. His quiet countenance and the plain glare on his face gave enough evidence to that.

"I have come for our noble father's fang, hand it over or die Inuyasha." And now he was ignoring her!

Just as Catse was ready to stalk over there and give the freak a good knocking around for being so cocky, he attacked, not waiting for an answer at all! The character knocked her out of his path and sent her sliding along the ground as he made his way to his opponent.

When she came back to reality she sat up with a groan.

_'Did someone get the license plate of that truck?'_

The sound of battle reached her ears.

She smirked… and trekked her way back to the feud.

_'Like hell someone's gonna throw a party and not invite me.'_

But by the time she got back, the battle was over; much to her disappointment. The guy with the ears was sitting Indian style with his arms tucked into their sleeves while the girl in the sailor fuku yelled at him to take off his shirt so she could dress his wounds. The two other members looked on in amusement as if this happened often.

Their attention turned to her however when they seemed to notice her presence...

or rather the boy with dog ears noticed her first and called attention to her.

"Oi wench, you still here? I didn't think anyone would still be walking after taking a blow from Sesshoumaru." He snapped, sounding a mix of surprise and almost arrogance, as if he was telling her in tone that he was one of the few that ever survived Sesshomaru's attacks.

"The name's Catse, so use it!" She snapped, not liking dog boy's tone one bit. "And it'll take a bit more than some drag-queen with a fluffy boa to keep me down." She then stuck her chin in the air haughtily, as if giving proof of her determination.

"You do know he'd kill you just for thinking that?" fuku girl commented between giggles.

"Lucky for me then he can't read minds, because I was calling him much worse in my head."

"You don't look like you are from here, perhaps you are from Kagome-sama's time?" Asked the guy who looked suspiciously like a monk, only he actually had hair.

"I don't know about being from a different time, but no, I'm not from here." Catse acknowledged. She pointed to the ground as if giving it a bad name, and then crossed her arms, just daring the dog-dude to get up and start something.

"You look like an American...Catse?" Fuku girl asked, using the new girls name so as to help her remember it. She had a feeling she'd be using it often.

"Yeah, I'm from America," she said, never wavering in her 'bad girl' attitude, "By the way...where the hell am I?"

"Feh, stupid human, you mean you don't even know where you are?" Dog boy asked incredulously, after he had regained his composure from laughing his head off about Catse's comment about Sesshoumaru.

_'Wow, I guess he's the bright one of the bunch. I'm still surprised he understood what I meant by_ '_drag-queen with a fluffy boa'.'_

"Wow dog-boy! You some kinda genius or what?" She said sarcastically. "Because you look like a dumb-ass to me!"

Sensing the brewing trouble between two dominant tempers, the monk stepped in between the angry glares. He did his best to look as innocent and holy as possible, as he ignored the dog-demons temper, and put his full attention on the woman called Catse. If he looked innocent enough, he thought, then maybe she wouldn't see right through him like the other two girls with him always did.

"I think some introductions should be made." Said the monk, then promptly, as always, kneeled before Catse and gently took her hands.

"Beautiful maiden from the heavens, would you do me the honor of..."

SLAP

The monk now found himself sporting a large bruise thanks to a fuming woman carrying an oversized boomerang.

"That is…" The monk covered up, rubbing the slap mark on his cheek as he stood up. It looked like he would have a hard time with the ladies as usual, again. "Would you do the honor of letting us introduce ourselves to you?"

"Damn monk…" The woman with the boomerang mumbled, her eyes twitching.

"My names Kagome." Fuku girl introduced very cheerfully, hand out so as to shake it with Catse. Catse ignored it, and instead kept her arms folded before her.

"Feh, Inuyasha"

"Shippo" A small fox demon piped up from behind a fuming Inuyasha. He had been hiding and listening to the conversation from behind the dog-demon, and now felt it safe enough to come out considering Sesshomaru had left.

"I'm Sango, and the lecherous monk is Miroku." Sango kept her arms crossed, pointing to the monk behind her as he continued to rub away at the mark on his cheek.

"Very honored to meet you." He mumbled, smiling innocently enough.

Catse took in the information...

'_Dog boy, Sailor Girl, Perverted Monk, a midget boy with a Halloween tail, and a girl that likes classic toys enlarged as weapons. Okay, I can do this.'_

"Catse, the biggest punk in all of SAHS"

Judging from the blank looks being given her by the group, she gathered they hadn't heard of it.

"San Antonio High School?" She elaborated...nothing.

"Texas?" She tried again. Someone would have to get this one…hopefully.

"OH! You're a Texan! I've heard about you! You all go around wearing cowboy hats, ride horses, and you're all rich from oil!" Kagome elaborated, giving ideas with her hands as she pretended to grab reins, tilt her invisible cowboy hat, and then just wave to the air for the oil...

Catse's eye twitched.

"I take it you're from Japan? Well from what I've heard, you guys are all martial artists and master geniuses that spend six days in school doing nothing but work and more work." Catse mutter back, sticking her chin up again.

"HEY! That's not true!" Kagome fumed. She had her hands clenched in the way that proved that she was truly angry and ready to hit something.

"Well then, don't automatically assume that all Texans are horse riding, hat wearing, oil moguls." Catse pointed out, her smug expression in place and strong.

"I guess not." Sango whispered to Miroku, though she kept an eye on his twitching hand.

"It don't matter where you're from or what you do," Inuyasha stated, "Go back to where you came from. You don't belong here."

"Listen, if I don't know where the hell I am, then how the hell am I supposed to know how to get back!" Catse fumed.

"Well, how did you get here?" Sango offered.

_'Right, let's see, I fell through what I guess was a black hole after I was struck by lightning...yeah that'll go over well.'_

"Well!" Inuyasha, never one for subtlety, yelled.

"Look all I know is that I am here for some reason without a way back. All I remember is some voice saying to believe something and to choose my state of mind. Then it gives me this sword and I come here." Catse reiterated while brandishing her new sword.

'_Wait a minute, where did the sword come from?'_ She thought to herself as she looked it over. Before, it hadn't been in her hands at all, and then suddenly she was holding it.

"Can I see that?" Kagome offered.

"Feh, you know nothing of swords girl, so what're you playing at. Let someone who knows swords look at it!"

"You're right Inuyasha. Would you happen to know where I can find Totosai? He should know what to look at." Kagome asked sweetly while Inuyasha began to fume again.

"That's not what I meant! I'm talking about me! Me! Me! Me!"

"Inuyasha...osuwari"

THUD

"Someone's becoming a little self-centered." Shippo whispered to Kirara, the fire cat, whom merely mewed her agreement.

There were some muffled curses that sounded suspiciously like something that would make a sailor take some notes, but the girls paid no heed.

"This is an odd sword" Kagome mumbled after some time. "Why does it have the kanji for anime on it?"

"I dunno, it just said to choose my state of mind. The other things had the same thing."

"Other things?" Miroku questioned after he had seated himself next to the conversing girls. Both eyed him warily, but returned to their conversation.

"Yeah, there was a shield, a wand, and then this. They also had these markings."

"Defense, offense, and neutral. Makes sense...why'd you pick the sword?" Kagome asked.

Catse sighed.

'_These people apparently can't see what's right in front of their faces.'_

"It's what I am...I'm an in your face kinda girl. You'll never catch me with some shield or wimpy wand."

"What's a wand?" Shippo asked, jumping up onto Kagome's shoulder.

"A wand is a weapon used by witches and wizards. They are used to channel spells and magic." Kagome clarified.

"Yeah, well anyway, I can't get home until I find out whatever it is that I am supposed to believe in."

"Wait, if you're from another land, then how is it you speak our language?" Sango asked, stepping over to Kagome and Catse. "I don't believe you can possibly speak Japanese just by watching our mouths move."

"It must be the sword...I can sense power in it, but what it is exactly I can't tell." Miroku offered. Three girls standing together was to tempting to let be, so he just had to partake in the action.

"Whatever. It all sounds like English to me."

"No, you're speaking Japanese." Sango established, very determined in her ideals.

"Whatever." Catse waved it off. "By the way, Kagome, if you know all about my world or whatever, then why are you here?"

"I am from five hundred years in the future, and we are collecting jewel shards. We have to find all of the shards of the shikon no tama before an evil hanyou by the name of Naraku does."

'_Why does this sound so fairy tale cliché?' _Catse thought to herself before Inuyasha interrupted.

"She didn't need to know that!" He warned, not liking the fact that they were telling the details of their mission to someone they had only just met.

"I trust her Inuyasha, besides, I can sense powers in her. I think we can use her help." Kagome clarified. She wasn't one to be too distrusting, and it wasn't like Catse looked like a demon. Catse couldn't be a demon, because if she were trying to trick them, then how would she know to dress so modern with a sword that had a modern term as it's insignia.

"Powers? I did throw a kid through a wall today in school, but I haven't been able to do it since." Catse replied, placing her hands on her hips. She still did want to find out what the hell had happened then, and maybe this new world would help her figure it all out.

"We don't need another stupid ningen slowin' us down. The wench stays here!" Inuyasha crossed his arms and stuck his nose up arrogantly, similar to what Catse had done earlier.

"Inuyasha she's coming with us whether you like it or not." Kagome warned...a familiar gleam in her eye.

"No and that's final."

"OSUWARI!"

"I really got to figure out how you do that." Catse replied, a similar gleam in her eyes.

Inuyasha cussed into the dirt, as the group collected all of their belongings, and left. It only took a moment for him to leap up and chase after them, ready for some sort of revenge if he could get it.

END CHAPTER

There, another chapter, though the other two should be up soon after this one...if they're not already. Please don't forget to review. It makes us feel loved that it does...sigh I need to stop watching Kenshin that I do...ARGH!


	5. Kenshinworld

Hehehehe. here's the next chapter. I hope you guys like this. And Kudos to my cousin catse for revamping this and last chapter. She'll also be doing the next few so they're bound to be good. Well I don't want to keep you guys long.

Disclaimer: Catse and I don't own any of the animes that are featured in this fic, but the OC's do belong to us.

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Koji groaned in her prone position. Her head was pounding, and she concluded that whatever hard surface that it rested on was the culprit. She slowly opened her eyes, and glared at the seemingly innocent cherry-blossom tree above her.

_'If I had my powers right now...you'd be dead'_ She threatened it. Apparently the tree couldn't read minds because it gave no outward sign that it'd heard her. Koji quickly admonished herself for such ludicrous thinking. Apparently she'd hit her head harder than she'd previously thought.

She sat up delicately, her aching head protesting all the way. Koji looked around and found herself sprawled along a trail that was lined with sakura trees. There was a canal, or river, she couldn't tell which, flowing directly behind her.

Her wand was found laying innocently beside her. She picked it up and marveled at it's dark color.

_'Mahogany most likely...' _She mused as she ran her fingers over it's liquored surface. _'Yep, definitely mahogany.'_

Koji stuffed it into the sleeve of her sweater for safe-keeping.

The sound of a whistle blowing cut her thoughts short however, as she looked around for the source.

There was a strange man with long red hair, and strange clothes running towards her; or more accurately being chased towards her. When she caught site of his pursuer, Koji almost choked.

_'Now isn't this scene familiar?' _She asked herself as the character now known as Kenshin rushed passed her followed closely by the police officer. Feeling sorry for the ex-manslayer, Koji streched her foot out just as the cop was passing her.

SLAM

While the cop was sprawled on the ground Koji took the time to vacate the premises lest she be blamed for the officer's clumsiness, which she actually had caused in the first place.

She soon found herself on the outskirts of a town. The air was permeated with the sounds and smells of the inhabitants. Vendors were selling their wares. A veritable cornucopia of herbs, meats, vegetables, and household items seemed to dance across her vision as if trying to catch her attention.

As she passed through the area, people would stop what they were doing just to stare at her. It was very unnerving to say, but Koji wasn't one to start shouting at people just for looking.

_'I'd tell them to take a picture, but I doubt they'll know what one is!' _

Koji opted for her usual approach...glaring. It seemed to work for the most part. Whenever her steely gaze fell on some gawking bystander, they quickly shook themselves and returned to their previous engagement.

As she passed by what appeared to be a housing district, she found herself almost trampled by a stampede of children, who by the looks of things, were playing a game of tag. Koji chuckled to herself, thinking about when she was a child, but that was soon cut short when a very large, very masculine hand clamped itself over her mouth.

The body that was attached to that hand pulled her into a nearby secluded area, much to Koji's dismay. A breathy voice was soon breathing down her neck.

"Well what do we have here?" It croaked. "A girl playing dress up?"

His breath reeked of sake and Koji squished the impulse to gag.

_'If I throw up, I'm aiming right for his face.' _She thought conspiratorially. She tried to struggle, when he began to kiss along her neck, but he was much stronger than her; and far too close to kick from behind.

Enough room was made during their struggles for Koji to bite his hand. The sound of his screaming did little to help her still pounding head, and the taste of his blood in her mouth only managed to increase her nausea.

Her would be attacker released her, but before she could escape, a blow landed her across the alley.

"I'll teach you what happens to little girls who play rough." He said as he began to undo his hakamas.

_'Crap' _She thought as darkness took her over. Right before she passed out, a new figure entered the alley where she was imprisoned. A scuffle appeared to take place between her attacker and this new guy, but by then, Koji was unconscious.

The new man quickly defeated her attacker with one blow to the face. As he ran away, the victor knelt beside Koji's limp form. He gently lifted her up and carried her away.

"You're one lucky girl missy" He said as he took her someplace to rest.

Koji woke to the sound of arguing. Her head was still pounding and the raised voices of the other room were doing little if nothing to rectify the situation. Solution: rectify it yourself; and that's what she did.

With a bit of difficulty, she sat up, allowing the blanket that covered her to pool at her waist. She groaned when the world began to spin at an alarming rate. Conclusion: getting up would not be the best approach.

"Will you two please keep it down? My head hurts enough as it is."

Situation: rectified.

A shoji screen to her left opened, and two strange characters appeared from behind it. One had his brown hair so mussed it looked spiked, and the other had long blue-black hair tied at the top of her head with a blue ribbon.

The woman wore a pink kimono that swished at her ankles when she walked. The girl sat beside Koji and felt her head.

"Glad to see you're awake, how do you feel?"

_'Like I was hit over the head repeatedly with a tree...'_

"I have a headache, but I'll manage through that. Might I ask, where am I?"

"You're at my dojo. I'm Kamiya Kaoru, and this lug is Sagara Sanosuke. He's the one that found you." Koji didn't know of what to do in this situation. She'd made contact with the main characters of the story, now that her brain was catching up with current events. And so she didn't need introduction, but there was something wrong. There was one person missing...

"I she alright?" Asked a red head of hair that poked its way through the door.

"That one's Kenshin," Kaoru introduced.

"I'm fine, thank you guys for saving me." Koji said as Kenshin made himself comfortable in her vision.

Hah! So the three main characters of the anime were before her! At least it was an anime she had already seen before.

Koji bowed to the group that had gathered in the room. "I don't have any way to repay you for your kindness."

"That's fine, we're just glad to see that you're alright. You don't look like you're from around here. Is there an inn your staying at or something?" Kenshin asked. Koji shook her head as she eyed her own garments. She was still wearing the same clothes she had worn to school that morning.

"Actually, I don't have anywhere to stay, and I don't have any money. If you would allow it, could I stay with you here? I can cook and clean. I'll do all the chores if I have to!" Koji begged.

"You can cook?" Kenshin ased.

"You'll do the cleaning?" Asked Sanosuke

"All the chores?" Asked Kaoru.

_'I think I may be in way over my head.' _Koji thought as that similar gleam of laziness flashed across everyone's eyes. _'Way in over my head.'_

"What are you guys doing?" She heard a young voice say from down the hall. In an instant, the boy known as Yahiko appeared, his dark brown hair almost as mussed up as Sanosuke's. "Who's she?"

"Talk about nosy!" Kaoru snapped, standing up. "This is Koji and she's going to be staying with us for a little while."

"What! Not another girl! I have trouble even dealing with you!" He shouted, which aggravated Kaoru to no end.

"What did you say?" She shouted, chasing after the boy with an umbrella she got from next to the door. A few heavy foot falls could be heard down the hall, before they apparently landed outside.

Koji, Kenshin, and Sanosuke all looked on in amusement.

'_Yep. I'm in Rurouni Kenshin world alright.' _Koji finally sighed, rubbing her temples. "I wish they wouldn't scream so loud."

"You'll get used to that. They do it a lot. How is your head?" Kenshin inquired, scooting in a little closer.

"I don't know. I think it'll be fine though."

"You should thank your lucky stars missy that that guy was as loud as he was. Otherwise, I wouldn't have heard the commotion."

"Right. Thank you Sanosuke." Koji mumbled back, finally taking her hands from her head. She hoped perhaps that her head ache would disappear shortly.

"We might as well get you acquainted with the dojo. Come, I'll give you the tour." Kenshin offered, standing. He helped Koji up before leading her out of the room.

'_I already know the Dojo, but sure, I'll get the tour. Oh I can not believe I'm walking with Himura Kenshin himself! Maybe I can trick him into giving me an autograph. Of course I'd have to get the same from everyone else here. Hey, maybe while I'm here I'll get to see him fight!' _

"ORO!" The shout rang around the hall as Yahiko quickly ran past with the umbrella and a wooden katana. Kenshin layed plastered on the floor, swirly eyes showing he had not at all expected the surprise attack. Kaoru ran quickly by, not even noticing the trouble caused.

'_But first Kenshin needs to come back into consciousness.' _She thought to herself quietly as she squatted and poked at Kenshin's head. His red hair really was poofy. _'That is, if he ever _will _come back to consciousness.'_

END CHAPTER

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	6. Catse Meets Kikyo

Catse: Gah! Another update! Finally! Yays! Okay, now that that's been done, thankies for the updates! Kojika85 and me really appreciate them! Okay, now down to business. This is the next chapter I wrote. The next one up should be from Kojika herself, so please be patient. It'll be up soon! Okay, now, on with the story!

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Disclaimer: You know this already. Let's move on, shall we?

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"So you say you have no idea how you got here? Hmm..." The monk known as Miroku thought aloud, the fire dancing across his features.It was night time, and the group had been traveling non-stop for most of the day. Now they sat at a fire they had built, talking about the days events and rumors as Kagome cooked up a stew of none other than ramen. 

"Yep. Unless lightning proves to be a portal of some sort, then I have no idea what the hell I'm doing here. And if that hand of yours comes any closer to me I make sure I cut it off!" Catse growled, watching as the houshi quickly brought his hand back to his staff as if he hadn't even reached out for anything in the first place.

"Is there anyone else that was hit with lightning other than you? Maybe they're here too." Sango offered, hoping that maybe that had a lead. She wasn't certain how Catse could travel though lightning, for she knew that it was enough to kill a normal person. Then again, this new girl had survived a hit from Sesshoumaru, and from what she knew, the girl wasn't demon. She would know so otherwise.

"Hmm...Let's see...Hey! Yeah, there was! This annoying kid named Hane and this chick Koji! I don't like either of them though. Oh! And I got a bone to pick with that chick! How dare she think she can knock me down so easily!"

Catse continued to growl as everyone looked on in amusement.

"Well, what do they look like? Maybe we can help you find them?" Kagome asked as she began to serve everyone their ramen.

"Well, let's see. The girl looked to be my age, with really long straight black hair and blue eyes, and...oh! She was wearing a black sweater and black jeans, and steel toe boots too, I think..." Catse thought about it seriously and finally nodded. "Yeah, steel toe boots."

"And the boy?" Sango prodded.

Catse thought about that too, before finally giving a rough description of what she remembered. "He had very messy blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a blue uniform and carried a suitcase. But I don't remember much after that."

"Keh. Typical woman! You don't remember anything on purpose, don't you?" Inuyasha shouted from his spot in the tree. He sat, Indian style, with his Tetsusaiga leaning on his shoulder.

"Of course not you idiot! Why would you think that?" Catse shouted up as Kagome passed her a bowl of ramen.

Inuyasha looked ready to argue...about as ready as Catse.

"I don't know. You just showed up out of nowhere wantin' help! What do you really want, eh? What kind of demon are you to think I can't see right through your stupid act?"

"Demon?" Catse inquired, twitching her eye. "Demon..."

"Uh-oh..." Shippo mumbled around soup. They all knew what was coming.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM YOU BASTARD! I DIDN'T ASK FOR HELP! YOU GUYS OFFERED IT! AND ALL I WANT IS TO POUND YOU FREAKIN' FACE IN YOU JACK ASS!"

"Yep..." Sango mumbled.

"She sounds strangely familiar..." Miroku commented, drinking some of the broth.

"YEAH! WELL YOU DIDN'T NEED TO ACCEPT THE HELP, NOW DID YOU? YOU'RE HIDING SOMETHING AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT!"

"FINE! I'M HIDING THE FACT THAT I THINK YOU ARE A TOTAL BASTARD!"

"OH REALLY! THAT'S ALL?"

"NO! I THINK YOU'RE A-"

"Calm down now, both of you!" Kagome shouted, but not as loud as the other two. Both Catse and Inuyasha threw her a glare, before they finally calmed down a little.

"I still think you're up to somethin'." Inuyasha finished off, before the taboo words were said and he found his face stuck in dirt. Kagome set a bowl of ramen next to his head as he mumbled curses into the ground, and when he finally did come up, and wiped the dirt from his face, he took the bowl and jumped back into the tree like a wild cat with a meal.

After they had eaten, Catse sat back and began to ask questions about everything she had seen so far.

"So, let me get this straight? You're half dog demon, and half human right?"

Inuyasha didn't answer. He appeared to be ignoring her. Catse was prepared to get into another argument, when Miroku answered instead.

"Yes he is. In fact, the man that you were hit by earlier is his older brother."

"Ah, right! By the way, what did he want? What fang was he talking about?" Catse inquired, picking her teeth with a twig she found nearby.

"He was talkin' about Tetsusaiga." Inuyasha said as he glared away from the group. Catse guessed it was because he was trying to set her off again. She didn't mind. She'd pound this guy into the ground the same way the word "sit" did, and show him she wasn't just some girl that marched by here every day. She was Catse! The most Dangerous Punk in SAHS! And no Dog Demon lackey was going to show her any different.

As if to give effect to his words, Inuyasha lifted his sword into the air.

"That thing looks old and rusty. Why would he want that thing?" Catse inquired, ever so bluntly.

"It's not old and rusty! That's just the appearance a normal person sees!" Inuyasha shouted, but Kagome cut him off.

"It transforms into a very large sword."

"Oh, you mean like the one he was holding earlier?"

The entire group nodded as one.

"Ah, okay. I understand now. That appearance is like an illusion. Alright! So, this Sesshoumaru...Does he attack often?"

"Not too often. Why do you ask?" Sango continued, resting against her large boomerang.

"'Cause I want revenge!"

The entire camp went quiet.

"Please tell me I heard that right. Did you just say you wanted revenge?" Kagome inquired, a brow cocked in confusion.

"Yeah, what, you deaf? I want revenge! No guy comes in and blows me over, no matter how gender confused they are! I'll kick his ass!"

"Good luck." Inuyasha offered.

"What's that Dog-Boy?"

Before Inuyasha could answer, Shippo did the honors.

"No one's ever beaten Sesshoumaru before, so he has doubts of you doing it."

"Shut up fox!" Inuyasha threatened, but Shippo stuck his tongue out and jumped up to Kagome's shoulder.

"I see. So he thinks he's tough because he's never been beaten?"

Again there were nods.

"Well, you know what? I heard somethin' a while back that makes more sense to me than that! You don't get strong from never being beaten! You get strong when you fall and get back up again! So boa boy won't be able to take me on, because I've fallen quite a bit! Got scrapes all over my knees and everything!"

Sweat drops spread to the entire group as Inuyasha looked the other direction.

"Um, Catse. I don't think that's exactly what the saying means." Kagome added, but Catse wasn't listening. She was in her own little world already.

"I am going to take that boa accessory on his shoulder and strange him with it! Then I'll grab his hair and tie it in so many knots he'll have to take a week to brush it out again! Then..."

"Ah, give it a rest Kagome. She ain't gonna hear you." Inuyasha grumbled. He was watching the stars. Kagome knew why he was nervous. The New Moon was very soon, and he would be human. He felt uneasy being that away around them, and now they had a new addition he didn't trust hanging around? Anyone in his position would be uneasy.

Just then though, as Kagome was watching Inuyasha, she happened to notice a not so welcome sight cross over the nighttime sky.

It was one of Kikyo's Soul Catchers, the little dragon like creatures that hunted for Kikyo's source of life. Considering it was floating here meant she was close, and the fact that it passed over with out a soul meant she was trying to lure them to her.

Of course, that wouldn't be difficult for Inuyasha. Every chance he had he went to her, but Kagome understood. She had never had a love like Inuyasha had had, but she could understand from the pain her own mother kept for her father that showed every once in a while, that those loved were never really forgottenﾁcever.

Inuyasha would keep going to Kikyo, until she was dead again or he was dead by someone else's hands. Any other way wouldn't keep them too far apart.

Well, as Kagome thought, Inuyasha immediately stood up and left, without a word to where he was going.

Kagome glanced at their little camp, to notice that Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were already on their feet and packed up.

Catse followed their lead, asking to where their dog friend had run off to, as Kagome put out the fire, saddled her bag to her bike, and they were off.

They all followed closely behind Inuyasha as he went, Catse proving to be the fastest runner of them because of how well in shape she was, and the fact that she was wearing pants and no skirts or dresses like Sango, Miroku, and Kagome were.

Shippo kept up with her, and once tired, actually jumped to Catse's shoulder. She didn't know what to make out of it, but decided that in her curiosity, she would ignore the gesture and allow it just this once.

They lost sight of Inuyasha when they came to a barrier, in which Inuyasha ran through, but they could not. Everyone else stopped, but Catse didn't notice, and kept running.

She managed to somehow run through the barrier, and barely even noticed that Shippo had been knocked off by the power of it.

Hell, for some reason, she was so straight forward in her running, she didn't even notice that the trees were thinning out, and she was coming to a lit up clearing.

When she did get to the clearing though, she stopped and stared at the young woman that sat beneath a tree, petting one of the weird dragon things.

She looked up just as Catse stopped, and gave her a quiet, curious look.

"Who are you?" She asked, standing.

"That's what I wanted to ask. You certainly look familiar!"

The woman smiled, her pale skin almost creepily glowing as she did so.

"You look different than many. Where do you come from?"

"SAHS." Catse answered without thinking. Then again, what would she say to a woman from five hundred years in the past.

"_America! You know! That large floating island that everyone suddenly bumped into and founded! Yeah, that's the one! Ever been there?"_

"SAHS? I've never heard of a place like that."

"Exactly. Which means I'm from too far away for you to concern yourself with."

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha voice echoed through the trees as he came running in. For an instant, he stopped to stare at Catse, then at Kikyo.

"Kikyo? Hmm..." Catse thought out loud, before glaring at the woman. "I've never heard of you in my life."

"Catse, what the hell are you doin' here?" Inuyasha shouted.

"I followed you! What else? You looser are the reason we left camp on short notice!"

"Catse? Hmm..." Kikyo thought to herself.

"Yeah, what! You want a fight? 'Cause I'm about ready to rip your pretty black hair out!"

"You shut up woman!" Inuyasha shouted at Catse, giving her a glare that meant death. "And you better leave this place! You don't belong here!"

"Why should I? You ain't my father!"

"Yeah well-!"

"Inuyasha, that is quite enough." Kikyo whispered, reaching towards the tree. Sitting there, almost like someone had set them there only recently, were a finely made bow and a quiver of arrows.

Kikyo took them in her hands elegantly, setting the quiver on her back and pulling out an arrow. She strung up her bow, knocked the arrow, and aimed it at Catse.

"What the freak are you doin' lady? Weapons like that are illegal!"

'_Catse you idiot. This is five hundred years in the past. This is when you were killed or killing!'_

"You are in the way. Die woman!" Kikyo shouted, the arrow loosed from her bow. Catse saw the event in slow motion, almost as if she was frozen in spot when time had been slowed. The arrow came close, almost to her nose, when it stopped suddenly.

Catse sighed her relief and also to get rid of the shout she had prepared for after she got hit, when she noticed the hand holding the arrow.

"Inuyasha...?"

"Didn't I tell you to leave? You're so stupid!" Inuyasha shouted in Catse's face.

Most would have cried. Many would have listened. Catse...was weird.

"You idiot! The hell I'm leavin'! She just shot at me! That freakin' lady just shot at me!" Catse shouted, pushing Inuyasha out of her way as she marched towards Kikyo. But to her dismay, Kikyo had, in the time of the argument, knocked another arrow and loosed it at her just as she came close. This time, Inuyasha couldn't stop it.

"Catse!" Inuyasha ran, almost in slow motion...but it was too late. The arrow had left Kikyo's bow and hit...the tree?

Inuyasha stopped in mid stride to stare at the arrow that had pierced through an old tree to the left of them. Kikyo stared at it as well, only she had a tranquil face instead of the shock of Inuyasha's.

A glint of silver reflected into Catse's eyes, and she looked up only to see the sword of 'anime'.

"What the...? The sword...?" Catse wasn't sure why the sword had suddenly appeared in her hands, or how it had known exactly where the arrow was coming so as to hit it. But without it, Catse would have had a hole the size of Texas stuck in her head, and Inuyasha would be stuck with the freaky dragon chick.

"You knocked it away...?" Kikyo mumbled.

Catse didn't miss a heartbeat.

"You're damn right I did! You think a silly arrow like that is going to faze me! You dumb broad! Now get your ass over here so I can give you the beatin' you deserve! You definitely need it!"

Kikyo glanced at her, a shine of contempt reflecting in her eyes, before her dragons wrapped like a cocoon around her and lifted her into the air.

"We will meet again...Catse. And Inuyasha, don't forget me..." She disappeared amongst the stars, with only a trace of light to show she had even ever been there.

Inuyasha walked over to Catse and stared at the sky the same way she did. After a moment, Inuyasha turned his eyes to glare at Catse.

"You could have been killed." He grumbled.

"Oh please. Some chick with a few measly flying worms thinks throwing a stick is going to hurt me. I've seen younger than her do worse than that!" Catse shouted, marching off. But really, she was thankful she got out of that alive. She didn't know the woman, or her reasons for attack, but she was powerful, and Catse wasn't sure exactly what would happen at their second meeting.

The rest of the group appeared a few minutes earlier, and after explanations had been exchanged and apologies given and accepted (none from Catse of course), the group left off to continue their journey.

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Catse: There, what do you think? I generally like the chapter! Please review! We like reviews! They make us feel loved and everything! Pleeeeeaaaaaasssssseeeeee! Okay, now that's going too far. But still review. We'll appreciate! 


	7. kojika goes for rice

'_I guess it's not so bad' _Koji thought to herself. Her chore regiment encompassed the majority of the day, but it was nothing compared to what she had to put up with back home. Making and serving the meals, keeping the floors clean, doing the laundry, airing out the linens, and making sure the dishes were cleaned was simple enough. There was one problem...she'd never skinned a fish before.

There it was in all its scaled glory staring back at her with its mouth hanging open. It was as if it was saying: _"Why do you want to eat me? What'd I ever do to you?"_

Koji was never very fond of fish. In fact, she loathed the thought of ever letting a morsel pass her lips, but she knew while she was in this world; it was either this or nothing but rice. While rice was more appetizing, it was hardly filling. She sighed to herself before steeling herself from the one puppy-eye the fish was able to give her. She instead concentrated on the movements Kaoru had shown her earlier.

_'I REALLY hate fish'_ she thought again, as the scales rained through the air. The fish was still quite fresh, having been caught recently in the river by Kenshin, but she could already imagine the smell of dead fish permeating the air. Koji never could understand how the Japanese could stand the smell of rotting fish.

_'To each their own I suppose...but I REALLY hate fish' _

The sun was beginning to set, warming her back as she sat hunched over her work. Other than her chores, Koji spent her few hours to herself practicing her ninjutsu. It was quite the entertainment when the other occupants of the dojo witnessed her running through her physical conditioning movements.

They had found it quite comical, until she challenged Sanosuke to a minor spar. Koji'd warned him not to take it easy on her...and despite her warning, it was obvious he was holding back. It was a lesson he learned quite thoroughly when she had him laid out in under thirty seconds. Needless to say, when he called for a rematch; he went all out, even if it didn't change the outcome. Sanosuke still found himself incapacitated in under a minute.

_'Just imagine if I'd taken the fight seriously! He wouldn't have lasted two seconds!'_

Koji picked at her borrowed Kimono. She wasn't used to such constricting clothes, especially ones in such bright colors. Kaoru thought, rather deviously in Koji's opinion, that she looked rather fetching in bright pink, and much to the chagrin of Koji proceeded to ensure that she had no other options left available.

_'Satanic twit hid my clothes! I've looked everywhere and still can't find them! At least Kenshin lent me a pair of hakamas to practice in!'_

Koji finished preparing the fish and set them to cook. Kaoru insisted she aid in making the rice, much to the chagrin of the other occupants of the dojo. Apparently her culinary skills were legendary in their lack of appeasement...at least among those who had tasted her morsels before. Koji hadn't suffered through a meal of Kaoru's yet and so had no prior knowledge of the dangers she was subjecting herself (and the others) to.

After the meal...Koji did ALL the cooking from that day forth. It had been voted on, decided on, and set as a new house rule. Koji didn't even have a choice in the matter, and Kaoru wasn't even allowed to vote. Koji tried to explain that she wasn't sure how long she'd be there, but she was easily ignored due to the satisfaction the others had in their decision.

Oh she'd change that idea, with tooth and nail if she had to. She was not going to remain their cook! Koji had other places to be, and she needed to find a way home! Not only that, but if she was correct, there were two other people she had to locate! Like hell she was going to be the cook!

(Next day)

Koji rested on the veranda after a nice long workout. When she'd started teaching herself ninjutsu, she never imagined that it would ever be put to practical use. At first, Koji attended a regular Karate dojo, but when her mother died; her father refused to continue to pay the dues, ending her supervised learning. Koji refused to end it there though, and continued privately on her own. The library offered a few old ninjutsu books to her gratification and after reading through them lightly decided to apply the techniques to what she already knew.

She was grateful for not giving up her quest in learning to fight efficiently. After only a few days here, Koji knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they'd come in handy. (Provided she wasn't overtaken while concussed like before.) With all the disgruntled samurai running loose, and the condition of the government, confrontation was a given. Especially since she was now associated with Himura. Apparently trouble followed him at all turns (if the stories were to be taken true). At least with her unarmed conditioning, she might stand a chance against a low level swordsman, or (if her spar with Sano was any gauge) a high level street-brawler.

Koji sighed. She still had no idea what it was she was supposed to be doing here. The oracle (what she'd decided to call the mysterious voice from the room of doors) said that she was supposed to find her purpose in order to find her way home, but not only that, somewhere in all this was that annoying girl Catse. Whether in this world or another, Koji had to find her, and ensure that they BOTH made it home in one piece. True, Catse was a decent fighter but, if past experiences were anything to judge by, not too bright. It would take both brain and brawn to successfully find their way home. That was obvious when they were given weapons at the very beginning.

If assumptions were correct, there was a key or item that would open the door to either the next world or to her home. Problem was, how would she recognize it? It would be too much to hope that it would be a glowing oddity that held a sign emblazoned with the word 'KEY' in emboldened letters.

_'At least for Catse anyways. I doubt she'd find it if it was any more subtle.'_

Koji was driven out of her contemplations by an approaching Kaoru. She held two rice buckets; obviously empty, with the way she was swinging them about haphazardly juxtapose with her feet.

"Koji! I have a favor to ask." She said in what was supposed to be a sweet 'sing-song' voice. "I know this guy who's having a sale on rice in town and I need you to go get some. We're almost out."

"Um...ok" Koji agreed.

"Normally I wouldn't need to go for more rice so soon but..." Kaoru continued, "since I'm nice enough to cater to free loaders..."She glared at an unresponsive Sanosuke, "I'm needing a bit more than usual."

"Sure I'll go." Koji agreed again, feeling that maybe Kaoru was trying to play on her sympathy's or something, almost as if Koji had told her no the first time. But Koji shrugged it off as nothing and stood.

"Oh, and take Kenshin with you!" Kaoru advised as she tossed to buckets to Koji who managed to miraculously catch them before they hit the ground.

(At the market)

When in a public setting it is customary for a woman with a male escort to walk a few paces behind him. Koji was an exception to the rule. In her opinion, she didn't need an escort and so therefore, proceeded to walk abreast of Kenshin. This caused her to receive quite a few stares and disapproving glares from the townsfolk.

_'I'll wear a damn PINK kimono, I'll have my hair up in this ridiculous pony-tail with these eye-sore ribbons, I'll do ALL the cooking and cleaning, but I REFUSE to walk behind someone just because they're a male!'_

Koji's 'I-AM-WOMAN-HEAR-ME-ROAR' mentality was set into overdrive. Let her be glared at, she didn't care. It obviously made Kenshin nervous, but Koji wasn't going to back down just because he was uncomfortable. Hell SHE was uncomfortable. It was hot, she was in a PINK dress, there were ribbons in her hair, and people were giving her ugly looks. Let them look; she'd pound the first person who said a thing.

_'Great, now I'm beginning to sound like Catse!'_

Both gave a collective sigh of relief when they reached the specified rice peddler.He was an elderly man with deep laugh lines adorning his face. His stall was one of the few who managed to find a place with shade, meaning he'd been set up since dawn. This observation prompted Koji to come to the conclusion that he took his rice seriously, and so therefore so should she. It was only polite...even if she wasn't in a very polite mood to begin with.

After a bit of haggling, Koji managed to get the rice for less than the discounted price Kaoru was so happy about. All it took was a bit of finess, and to speak as if the rice was food provided by the gods and therefore deserved reverence, which apparently the peddler believed wholeheartedly.

On the way back to the dojo (rice in tow) Koji came upon a strange sight. There were three men dressed completely in black, wearing facemasks, and swords strapped to their backs; blocking their path. This portion of the road was completely deserted since it was out of the way of the market. If Koji's hunch was correct, this was some sort of ambush, and so therefore, it would be in Kenshin's favor since there weren't any innocents to be caught up in the upcoming fray.

Without warning, the middle masked man threw three throwing stars in their direction.

Kenshin drew his sword and deflected them with ease, but it was only a distraction. The other two leapt forward and drew their swords and commenced an attack.

Kenshin defended himself to the best of his ability, but against two very skilled swordsmen, he was having a rough time.

Koji integrated herself into the fray by attacking one of the men after Kenshin. His back was to her, so she swiftly delivered a well placed chop to the pressure point beside his neck. He fell unconscious.

Deciding that these guys were serious, and Kenshin needed help with the two others, she set her rice down gently. If they were going to be so serious, so would she.

As soon as the rice was safe, Koji looked up in time to dodge a kunai that whizzed past her head, millimeters from her face.

_'That was close!'_

"Koji-dono, run to the dojo and get Sano!" Kenshin ordered.

"That would not be wise Kenshin-san, I can't leave you with two opponents. I will help where I can."

"Don't! They'll kill you! I can handle them! GO!"

"I can promise you Kenshin-san, they won't lay a finger _'or kunai' _on me."

Ignoring any other protests Kenshin might have made, Koji engaged battle with one of the remaining, turning it into a one on one fight. Koji picked up one of the deflected kunai from the ground and began using it to parry the sword attacks from her opponent. When she saw an opening she used it to deliver a spinning heel kick to his head. As soon as he fell, the last remaining threw curry powder into Kenshin's face. Taking advantage of his blindness, he grabbed Kenshin's sword and sheath and disappeared around the corner of a building.

Koji wanted dearly to chase after him, but couldn't leave Kenshin in his state of temporary blindness. Though she'd never really seen one before, Koji knew those guys were ninja. When she turned around again to assess the two bodies, she found that they had disappeared. Upon closer inspection, though, she found a small pendant the size of a quarter. It had a dragon and tiger in a death-lock etched into it.

_'A clue.'_


End file.
